


October prompts: Late night craving

by theonetruenorth



Series: October writing prompts 2020 [18]
Category: Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: Cute, Flufftober, John being a little shit, M/M, October prompts 2020, midnight cravings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-20
Updated: 2020-10-20
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:47:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 622
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27124039
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theonetruenorth/pseuds/theonetruenorth
Summary: Kaidan opened his mouth to say something, closed it, opened it again and then gave up. He was too tired to ask questions.
Relationships: Kaidan Alenko/Male Shepard
Series: October writing prompts 2020 [18]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1948783
Comments: 2
Kudos: 18





	October prompts: Late night craving

**Author's Note:**

> No beta-read.  
> Technically set during ME3, but Kaidan and Shepard got together earlier than in canon.

Kaidan stopped in his tracks as soon as he entered the crew deck and the kitchen area. It was late enough at night that he didn’t really expect to see anyone there, the rest of Normandy's skeleton crew on shift in navigation and engineering. He had been awake for some time now, tossing and turning for longer than he cared to admit, before finally deciding to make himself some tea, hoping it would help him fall asleep again.

He certainly didn’t expect to see John there, wearing an old N7 t-shirt and sweats combo, his ass parked on the kitchen counter and his mouth full of salted pretzels.

“What.”

It didn’t sound like a question but Kaidan felt it reflected perfectly on his current state of bafflement. John’s eyes widened just a tiny fraction in surprise, clearly not expecting company but otherwise he seemed quite happy to just stay in his spot and munch some more.

“Pretzel?” He extended the pack of snacks in invitation and all Kaidan could do was to shake his head. John just shrugged and crunched on another one. “Suit yourself.”

Kaidan opened his mouth to say something, closed it, opened it again and then gave up. He was too tired to ask questions. Without saying anything more, he filled the kettle with water and turned it on before rummaging through the cupboard for a mug and a tin box of tea. Chamomile and peach ended up being his final choice - probably belonging to Karin - and he stared at the empty cup numbly as he waited for water to heat up.

“Isn’t it a little late for snacks?” Kaidan eventually asked, leaning one hip on the counter John was still sitting on.

“Isn’t it a little late for you to still be up?” John said and grinned when Kaidan huffed at him. “I’m stress eating.”

“Really.”

Again, not a question.

“I tend to gravitate towards salt when I’m stressing,” John shrugged again. “An ungodly amount of salt, unfortunately.”

He reached inside his bag once more, only to realize he ate it all already and gave the bag his best _‘the-commander-is-very-disappointed-in-you’_ glare. It was enough to make Kaidan snicker.

“What about you, then?” John crumpled the bag and tossed it towards the waste bin, giving a little pleased hum when it fell neatly inside. “Why are you in here, in the middle of the night, keeping the little salt-addicted me company?”

“Headache woke me up,” Kaidan said as he poured water into his cup, the rich smell of peach hitting his nose instantly. “Figured I’ll just make myself some tea and hope it can lul me back to sleep, eventually. I have to be up in…” He looked at the clock on the kitchen wall and his face fell a little bit. “In four hours. Shit.”

They were standing close enough that it was easy for John to reach out with one hand and brush the back of his fingers against Kaidan’s bare forearm, making him look up.

“I don’t think you have to worry,” John said, his eyes infinitely gentle and fond, “I’m sure the commander will understand if you need to sleep in. As long as you do him a favor, that is.”

“Yeah?” Kaidan smiled a little, his fingers tangling with John’s after a moment. “And what kind of favor would that be?”

“I have it on good authority - and by that I mean it was EDI who spilled the beans - that Joker keeps bags of chips stashed around on the bridge. Help me find them and I might just overlook you being late for your shift tomorrow.”

John’s lips stretched into a wide, impish smile.

“I’ll even tuck you in tonight to help you sleep.”


End file.
